Processing of poultry such as chickens, turkeys and the like is generally carried out on an assembly line basis. The birds are suspended from overhead conveyors and routed to various processing operations throughout the plant. As the finished product reaches the end of the line it is removed from the conveyor and packaged for shipment.
In the prior art the product has been suspended from the overhead conveyors by specially designed shackles. It is the design of these shackles, that allows the finished product to be released from the conveyor line. However, the various types of shackle configurations have presented the industry with certain problems.
One prior art method is the use of a shackle with a locking mechanism which when released allows the product to fall freely. This type of shackle, due to the number of moving parts, is costly and requires maintenance and thus additional cost.
A second prior art method is one in which the product is suspended by a shackle which requires the product to be struck or pushed to remove it. This method results in damage to the product.
The present invention provides an inexpensive shackle of one piece construction and associated release mechanism, which allows the finished product to be automatically removed without striking or pushing against the product.
Briefly, in accordance with the teachings of the present invention there is provided a novel product support shackle and an associated drop mechanism which is mounted along the path of travel of the shackle and which sharply strikes the shackle to cause it to swing out from beneath the product being carried thereby.